Misery Loves Company
by Lalenapeike
Summary: Set after Epitaph 2. The pulse bomb goes off and starts resetting everyone. What if everyone didn't want to be reset? And where has Dominic been?
1. Chapter 1

It's been 3 months since the explosion and he's pulled together a ragtag group of people, that are now making their way toward Tuscon. Laurence Dominic has a map in his pocket, a vague idea of where he's going and directions with two words scrawled across the top, Safe Haven. The trip takes longer than expected. They have to stop to scavenge for food and supplies. His group has several small children, who slow them down considerably. He isn't entirely sure why he's heading this way. It seems familiar and safe, but the vague sense of unease increases as they make their way out of Los Angeles.

They've all been trying to piece together the recent events; each person having a different point in their memories where everything went blank. He knows that time has passed. He knows that at some point the technology went horribly wrong. But that's all he knows. Others remember more recent events, but Dominic's memory gap is the largest by far. He hasn't had the nerve to ask how large though. It scares the hell out of him.

It's late in the evening when they make it to the spot on his map. Somehow he'd expected something different; a fortress, a compound, anything but a series of small buildings and some farmland. Despite the idyllic setting, guards are upon their group in moments, guns trained on them.

"Name and birthmark" barks one of them.

"Laurence Dominic. What the hell?" He shoves the guard who's pulling up on the back of his shirt.

"It's standard procedure. Where's your birthmark?"

"I don't_ have_ any birthmarks." He's starting to get pissed off as the guards start checking the others.

The first guard spots something on Dominic's shoulder blade and stops suddenly. "Okay. This one's good."

Dominic twists around to look at his back. There in untidy letters is his name. It's not like he's had a reason to look at his back lately, or been around too many mirrors. His stomach drops though. The tattoo is completely unfamiliar. It's as though his own body has betrayed him. The guards have finished examining everyone and let the group inside the gates. Dominic scans the people coming out of the first house. No one looks familiar. He'd been hoping for some recognition, someone he knew, or any kind of memory really. Then he sees her. Adelle DeWitt. She looks years older and much more casually dressed than she'd looked in his memory, but it's still a familiar face. She's walking toward them when she catches sight of him and freezes, her face going chalk white.

"Laurence..." His name comes out a whisper.

"Ms. DeWitt." He returns.

"We thought you were dead. Where have you been?" Some of the color has returned to her face, but she isn't moving any closer to him.

"L.A. Now what the hell is going on?"

"We set off a pulse bomb. It's starting to work. People are themselves again. It'll take time, but we're working on destroying the remaining technology and we..."

"Pulse bomb? What remaining technology? I have no idea what you're talking about ma'am. What is going _on _here?" Dominic breaks in suddenly. He's had enough. Months of uncertainty and frustration are raising his voice until he's right in her face shouting.

"Mr. Dominic, you..." She trails off, a realization beginning to creep across her face and she takes a step back from his tirade. He can barely hear her next words. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"You. I was grabbing a gun. The gun went off. There was a blue light." He's haltingly grasping for his memories now. They seem so far away. He's been avoiding thinking about this, just trying to keep moving and get his people though. "You having me strapped down. You sending me to the Attic" he finishes at last flatly.

Adelle's hand goes to her mouth. She almost looks like she's going to be sick. She's shaking her head silently, looking up at him.

"How long?" The lines on her face, the new gray in her hair, his own aging face those few times he's gotten a glimpse in the mirror; it's all coming together with frightening speed now. She doesn't answer. Adelle just stares at him, face a mask. "How LONG has it been dammit?"

"Almost 10 years."

It's a blow that staggers him. "How is that even...possible? Ten years? Why has no one _else_ lost that much time, Adelle?" He can see her wavering as she starts to answer him. Her face is controlled, but her eyes look pained.

"The pulse bomb. It reset people to their original personalities, but it had side effects for anyone with active architecture. It reset them to before they were first imprinted."

"But when was I imprinted?" Dominic looks confused. Then it hits him. "You did it. When you sent me to the Attic." He sees red then, fury gripping him and he grabs her arm. His ears are ringing, his vision shrinking to just Adelle's face. She flinches, but he holds firm, gripping tightly enough to bruise. "Ten years? I lost ten _years_ because of you?"

"I thought you were dead. If I'd any idea I never would have let you stay out there." She trails off as the others from the house begin to walk over, concerned for her safety.

"What's going on over here? Hey, Dom?" interrupts a male voice. The next person to come around the corner is the last person Dominic ever expected to see smiling at him. Alpha. "Jesus Christ!" He jumps backward, hand reaching for the gun that no longer hangs at his side.

"Mr. Dominic!" Adelle steps between them. "He's on our side. Things have changed."

Alpha isn't his biggest sign that things have changed. It's written all over Adelle's guilt ridden face. It's too much for Dominic. Ten years of his life gone and Alpha being _friendly. _His hand is clenching and if he doesn't get out of there he's going to do something he'll regret. Or at least he thinks he'll regret it."I need some space. Just leave me the hell alone." He stalks off toward the nearby trees. Adelle moves to go after him, but stops and sits heavily on the porch step resting her head in her hands. The group around them disperses awkwardly. No one else is meeting her eye.

"What's going on with Dom?" Alpha cocks his head toward the departing man, sitting beside her.

"He doesn't remember anything."

"Nothing at all?"

"He remembers me sending him to the Attic." Adelle lets out a long shuddering sigh and rests her head on Alpha's shoulder. Alpha uncomfortably pats her shoulder. He pretends not to notice the tears tracking down her face.

"He'll never forgive me for this."


	2. Chapter 2

Adelle DeWitt had never been an optimist. It was too hopeful, too simplistic. She was a pragmatist. What happened would happen and she would deal with it, as there was usually no changing things. But for the last 8 months the last thought in her mind before she fell asleep was that Laurence Dominic would return someday. At this moment, however, she wasn't sure that him being dead would be worse than the current state of things. Dominic hadn't left after learning the truth, but the hatred in his eyes whenever they passed over her stung deeply. Not that he was looking at her very much. He'd been avoiding her completely, leaving the room whenever she entered. It didn't help that his bedroom was two doors down from hers. Her very large, empty bedroom. She'd shared the room with Topher since no one else could handle his outbursts.

But since then, no one could bring themselves to take his cot. She missed him. Caring for Topher had taken so much time and energy, she had felt lost without the responsibility. But he had become family, and she felt the loss of that more keenly. Adelle felt on edge lately. Dominic never looked at her, barely acknowledged she was in the room. He'd been there 5 weeks and she felt like screaming if only he'd glance over at her. She didn't scream of course; she was still British after all. He'd actually become friendly with Alpha of all people. It was galling. She felt exhausted though. There was so much planning to do. They had more people than they could feed and house comfortably and as clean-up from any of the government agencies was moving glacially slow, they still had to take matters into their own hands. But most importantly, Neuropolis still stood and it had to be neutralized somehow. If they didn't, Topher's sacrifice would have been for nothing.

They were all looking at him like he was going to explode at any moment. It was really, really annoying. Dominic still felt out of place in Safe Haven. There were all of these people who kept approaching him, happy that he was back. He remembered none of them, save Alpha and Adelle. And he really didn't want to think about either of them very much. He felt like an impostor. Whoever they had remembered was forced out by that blast and was never coming back. He didn't really have anywhere else to go though. He makes himself useful though, guarding the gate and gathering and destroying any remaining tech in the immediate area.

Alpha starts talking to him, just in passing at first and then more and more. He's pretty sure that Alpha thinks that they're friends, but at least he doesn't try to talk about the years Dominic doesn't remember like the rest do. At first he just ignores him, it's bad enough that the maniac is allowed to roam around free. But even he has to admit that the man is different. Alpha is a less manic, calmer version than what he remembers from 10 years ago. He wears him down at last. Dominic is starved for some sort of conversation. He finally asks him about the difference in personality.

"Well nothing like the end of civilization to change a man, right Dom?"

"Yeah, but do you still have all those imprints floating around?" said Dominic, looking suspicious.

"Sort of. I wasn't really sure what was going to happen after the blast," Alpha shrugged.

"How the hell do you sort of have 49 imprints in your head?" shot back Dominic, not really in the mood for more non-answers.

"I figured out how to control them over the years, shove them back more. The blast was supposed to restore everyone to where they were. Not really a good thing for me then, huh?" Alpha grins at him.

"Yeah, but you still remember everything? What makes you so special?" Dominic's frustration over his own memory gap was making him shorter than usual with the other man.

"Having 49 imprints in my head, remember Dom? The blast knocked most of them loose, pushed them even farther back. I can't explain it any better than that, but it's like there's more room in my head again. There were a few days that I forgot things, but then everything started coming back eventually," Alpha shrugged.

"How long did it take for things to start coming back?" Dominic was trying his hardest not to appear too hopeful, but if there was even a chance.

"A week or two until everything was back. Sorry Dom, I know that's not the answer you want."

Dominic didn't answer, just looks out at the garden. Adelle and several of the others are digging up the newest batch of crops. Some of the younger children are trying to help, but most have started chasing each other up and down the rows of tomatoes.

"Dom what are you doing here?" Alpha looks serious for once.

"What do you mean?" Dominic is instantly defensive. He isn't sure where this is going.

"I know you're pissed as hell. I don't blame you, but she's my friend too. And this is really hurting her. She could handle it when you were gone, barely, but she was getting by. But you being here all the time, it's not helping." Alpha's eyes are sad and he looks out to the garden. "You have to figure out what you're doing here Dom."

"What do you expect me to do about it?" Dominic's arms are crossed and he's glaring at Alpha. He knows he sounds childish, but nothing about this situation is fair. She ruined his life, he shouldn't have to make her feel better about it.

"You could at least talk to her. I know you still care about her. You can't spend that much time avoiding someone without knowing exactly where they are all the time. And you watch her a lot, even if no one else sees it." Alpha steps back slightly, waiting for the inevitable explosion.

"She took ten _years_ of my life!" shouts Dominic. "And you just want me to chat with her like everything's okay? Like nothing happened!" His hands are clenched into fists and he's breathing hard.

Adelle looks up at the noise. Dominic's voice has gotten loud enough that everyone heard his last words. Dominic can see the hurt look that flashes across her face. She steels herself almost instantly though, and goes back to directing the others to finish gathering the rest of the fruit. But she goes back into the house shortly after that, walking quickly and avoiding their eyes. Her face looks blank and there's nothing behind her eyes. Dominic sighs and leans against the building, some of the rage leaving him.

"I don't want to be this angry all the time. It's like it's not even me anymore."

"Seriously?" Alpha smirks. "I don't think you have the monopoly on that feeling these days."

"Fine, it was a bad choice of words. I don't _want_ to hate her."

Alpha nods, smiling slightly. "Good. Because you definitely didn't once upon a time."

Dominic bites his lip, but curiosity wins out . "What happened? Between us."

"It was a few years back. You guys finally got together, not that you'd been fooling anyone before that happened. She was the only one you were remotely nice to and she got all smiley when you were around. But you guys were _sort of_ subtle about it I guess. Outside of the staring into each others eyes and invading each others personal space bit. Oh, and the tandem walking. That one was a big clue."

Dominic rolls his eyes. "Can you get to the point please?"

"You left. Something about not wanting to stay in here anymore, but no one knew anything more than that. She was pissed, and really sad. So not a combination where anyone was going to ask questions. You'd come back every few months, stay a few days. You'd bring back people and supplies. Then, you just never came back. You were gone 8 or 9 months, we figured you'd been killed or printed. Adelle wouldn't talk about it...ever."

Alpha trails off and looks at the floor. "Sorry, that's all I know. I left a few months after that. Just couldn't deal with all of it."

"No, thanks. That helps. I just don't know what to do about it." Dominic shakes his head, looking toward the house.

"She's not in good shape right now Dom. She's not sleeping very well."

Dominic had seen the circles under Adelle's eyes and how tired she looked. It was kind of hard to relay that concern to someone you're not talking to though. "Why not?"

"You ever notice that she's the only one with her own room?"

Dominic had actually, but figured it was out of respect after Topher's death or that no one else had wanted the small cot.

"Molly, one of the older kids, was sharing with her for a little while. She asked to switch because she couldn't sleep. She said Adelle kept having nightmares and it was waking her up. I try to get her to talk about it, but she's pretending nothing's wrong."

Dominic had heard crying coming from down the hall before. He'd assumed it was one of the younger kids.

"And how is it my problem? She feels bad about Topher, that's not my fault." He doesn't want to think about her crying or feeling guilty. It's much easier to think of Adelle as the Ice Queen with no real feelings. And he doesn't want to feel badly for her. She deserves all of it.

"Yeah, I'm sure some of it's because of Topher. But it's gotten much worse since you came back. She's beating herself up over what happened to you Dom."

"Yeah, well maybe she should." Dominic cuts in sharply. He doesn't want to talk about this anymore; doesn't want to think about Adelle in pain. He walks away without another word to Alpha. He doesn't return to the house until it's dark and most people are in their rooms. He's done dealing with people.

He's half asleep later when he hears a scream from several doors down. Without thinking he jumps out of bed and runs down the hall.


	3. Chapter 3

Dominic stands frozen in the doorway, peering into Adelle's room. He'd leapt out of bed and ran down the hallway without consciously thinking about what he was going to actually do. Now that he was here, he was stuck. She's still asleep. He can tell that from the dim light flooding into the room. He can't wake her up, he values his life too much to risk doing that. She'd kill him for seeing her like this. She's tossing and turning in the bed and taking shuddering breaths. She sounds terrified. He shouldn't care about that, but he's already here. He can't just go back to bed and ignore it. At any rate, she's keeping him up. So that at least has to be fixed for his own well being. So he steps into the room, calling her name in a low tone, trying to make certain that she's not awake.

"Adelle. Are you okay?" he whispers uncertainly. When she doesn't respond, making only a low moan, he moves closer to the bed lowering himself down. While he's still trying to think of something to calm her down without waking her, his hand grabs hers. Her skin is slightly cold and clammy, but he squeezes her hand gently. This all feels weirdly familiar. Dominic is not a man that believes in déjà vu, but absolutely nothing about his life is normal these days. She's still moving about in the bed.

"Please. No. Stop it." Adelle's muscles stiffen as she groans. "Don't. I can't. Please. Please stop." She's getting more agitated, not less so. Dominic leans forward and slides his hand up her arm to her shoulder, rubbing it gently.

"Adelle, it's okay. You're alright. Shhhh." He's trying for a comforting tone and feeling ridiculous. Luckily there's no one around to see this. "It's okay. Everyone's fine." He keeps repeating these, almost like a mantra and strokes her arm. After awhile of this, her body finally relaxes and her breathing slows. Dominic lets go of her hand and backs away from the bed slowly, making sure not to wake her.

"Laurence" She murmurs his name and he freezes, sure he's been caught. He stands frozen for several minutes, ensuring that she's still fast asleep before returning to his own room. He's tired the next morning, but he feels less angry. The rage that he'd felt yesterday had drained away a little bit, leaving only a dull anger. He doesn't forgive her, he can't. But night after night that week, he finds himself at her bedroom door. It's not that he's waiting up for her, he just happens to be awake. His room is right near hers, so he can hear her if she cries out in the middle of the night. It's not something he plans to get in the habit of doing. He's more tired on guard duty each day, but the circles under Adelle's eyes are lessening.

Alpha was right though. It's not just Topher she dreams about. He sees the sadness behind her eyes when she's awake that's for Topher. They were close and Adelle still mourns him. From what Alpha said she was like his mother in the end and he sees that. Her gaze gets a little farther away sometimes or her hand rests for a moment on something he created. She must dream of him occasionally, seeing his death or trying to stop it, but it's not the reason she's having nightmares. It's not the main reason she's having nightmares anyway.

Alpha was right. It was him. Specifically, it was Adelle's guilt over him. She speaks to him in her dreams. She begs for forgiveness, pleads with him not to go. She tries to warn him, the way she hadn't before. It's eating her up inside, and it has to come out somewhere. With how tightly wound Adelle is these days, the obvious outlet is in her sleep. Some days he's glad of her guilt, it's well-deserved karma. Other days it's just sad.

He's gotten pretty good at calming her during her nightmares, but one night she's curled up way on the other side of the bed near the wall. She's well out of reach from the other side of the bed. He slowly eases himself into the bed, so he can get a little closer. It's a comfortable bed, far more so than his. The last thing he remembers before drifting off is Adelle's hand entwined with his. When he opens his eyes, he has a few blissful seconds of a warm body curled up next to his before he's shoved roughly out of the bed. He hits the floor with a yelp.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Adelle is wide awake and shouting loud enough to wake the entire house. At least the door is shut. He's never heard her this angry. _Man she's gorgeous when she's angry. Oh...crap._

Dominic is still half asleep. His brain hasn't quite caught up to the situation at hand. His mouth is open. He's pretty sure he doesn't look too bright right now as he stares up at her in disbelief from the floor.

"I'm sorry. I just…" He's never been at such a loss for words. He can't believe he just fell asleep. "I was just…" He averts his eyes from her pajamas. Adelle, upon looking down and realizing for the first time that she's dressed in a pair of very small shorts and a flimsy white tank top, fumbles for a sweater at the side of the bed. She pulls it on quickly and inelegantly and stands up. The room is still dim with first light and Dominic stifles a yawn. He studiously keeps his eyes on her face and jumps up from the floor as she starts toward him.

"What were you doing in my _bed_ Mr. Dominic?" Adelle has her hands clenched at her sides and her eyes are glittering dangerously. "Well?"

Dominic isn't sure how she manages to be so imperious in a lumpy brown sweater, with several very _unfortunately_ placed holes, but she does. _Up, definitely eyes up. Wait, she just asked you something._

"Um. I don't know," he stutters. _Really articulate Dom, fantastic. _Adelle's eyes narrow in response. "It was an accident. I just fell asleep," he finally manages in a rush of words. "I heard a noise in here and I wanted to make sure everything was alright."

"And you just happened to fall into bed with me?" The corner of Adelle's mouth lifts sardonically as she glares at him. "I find that difficult to believe."

"You were _havinganightmare,_" he mumbles under his breath. "I was just trying to help. It was an accident." He can tell instantly that this is the wrong thing to say. The temperature in the room shifts so fast he thinks he can feel his ears pop. He steps back involuntarily at her rapid change in expression.

"Trying to help? What possible reason would you want to do that?" Adelle's face is contorted in a mix of anguish and fury. She's almost unrecognizable from the cool, detached boss that he well remembers. "Why the hell are you still here? You are the one who left Laurence. You bloody well left _me. _Why couldn't you just stay dead, you bastard? Why are you still_ here_?" Her voice rising, she grabs the pillow off the bed and throws it at his head, hard. Dominic grabs her arm, echoing his earlier attempts to calm her. But that is clearly not the approach to take right now. She shoves him backward and slaps him hard across the cheek. He tries get out of her way. He really needs to stop touching her, it's not helping matters. She's raining hits on his chest as she yells at him and she's stronger than she looks. Dominic, remembering her affinity to fencing, is suddenly very grateful that there is nothing sharp and pointed in the room as she chucks a clock in his direction.

"Adelle, come on. Please calm down." He raises his hands and backs away from her slowly, as if from a suddenly dangerous animal. He's never seen her like this, though it's probably his fault. The strain of everything has finally caught up with her. She's completely lost whatever razor thin control she had as she screams at him.

"Don't tell me what to fucking do! You lost that right when you left me with nothing but that bloody note! You just left and I didn't know what to do. You were gone. You were dead and I didn't know. I would've told you what could've happened. I would've made sure you were safe. And I'm sorry. I am so sorry. Please Laurence. But, I didn't know. I didn't. Please. I didn't know." Her voice breaks as she shakes her head. She's getting more and more incoherent. Adelle has started wringing her hands, which reminds him of Topher. He isn't sure _why_ it reminds him of Topher, but he doesn't have time to consider it. He takes hold of her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

"Hey. Hey. Okay. It's okay Adelle. I know you didn't. Shhh, it's alright sweetheart." She stops speaking abruptly then, eyes glistening and chest heaving, staring at him in shock at the endearment. Her face crumples and she dissolves into tears. Dominic freezes in shock. He's completely at a loss. She's the toughest, coldest woman he knows, but she's falling apart in front of him. His first instinct is to get the hell out of there. He has no idea how to deal with this. He set this whole thing off though. She's this upset because of him and he can't just stand there staring while she's crying. He's there to have her back. His instinct is still there to obey her, to respect her. This feeling that he has to protect her no matter what though is new. He's always been protective of her, hard as he's tried to avoid being unprofessional. The rising urge to touch her, comfort her somehow, tangles with his desire to make her pay. Finally, thoughts still swirling, Dominic tries to just stop thinking altogether and do what feels right. He awkwardly puts his arms around her and holds her, stroking her hair as she sobs.


	4. Chapter 4

Adelle cries for a long time. Dominic is pretty sure that this isn't just about him anymore. In all likelihood she hadn't let herself cry much over Topher. There had been too much going on. So he lets her cry, even though his shirt is getting wet. He still doesn't know why he's in here, but he switches that part of his brain off. He's here because he has to be. He's not sure why, but it's right and she needs him right now. So he holds her until his arm starts to go numb. They've sat back down on the bed now. Adelle has stopped crying, though his arm is still wrapped around her. It's still quite early in the morning and he doesn't hear any noise from outside. He glances at the woman resting her head on his shoulder. Her eyes are closed and her breathing has slowed. He lays her down gently and creeps out of the room. Taking a deep breath, Dominic leans against the wall tiredly.

He really hadn't expected that reaction. It seemed like they both had a reason to be angry. Although stealing 10 years from someone definitely wins out over walking out on them, in his opinion. He glances down the hall to check that no one else was awakened by the noise and sees Alpha looking out from his doorway. "Guess you heard that?"

"Yeah. Told you, didn't I? You fell asleep in there?" Alpha looks amused.

"Not on purpose! I was just trying to help." Dominic shakes his head in annoyance. Alpha just grins. "I didn't want to wake her up."

"And you succeeded brilliantly at that didn't you Dom?" Alpha smirked at him.

"Just shut up, okay. It's been a long morning," Dominic growls. He stands there with his arms crossed, glaring at the blonde man. "Did I...did I really just walk out on her?" Alpha nods in response. "Did I say goodbye?"

Alpha shakes his head slowly. "I think you thought it would be easier if you didn't. It wasn't a surprise though. We knew you didn't just want to sit around keeping house or go off to war with Echo and Ballard." Dominic rolls his eyes at this. "You weren't made for the country Dom. You had to be out there, doing something to help," finishes Alpha. Dominic doesn't respond, just looks back at Adelle's closed door. "Do you want to see the note?"

Dominic's eyes go wide at the question. "Why the hell do you have it?"

Alpha shrugs. "Why not?" At another glare from Dominic he finally says "She gave it to me to get rid of. She couldn't look at it anymore." His eyes look sad. He goes into his room and comes back with a folded piece of paper. The note is very short. He checks it over carefully before reading it. It looks like it has been folded and refolded many times. It is his handwriting though; there is no doubt of that. It's written messily, not in straight lines, as if the man who wrote it was rushing or writing in the dark. He was that man though. All it says is:

_Adelle,_

_I can't stay here. I need to be useful and here I'm not. They need you here. Topher needs you. If we were enough I'd stay. But I can't hide behind closed doors while the world falls apart. I have to keep fighting to get people out, to fix it. I'll come back when I can, but don't wait for me. _

_I'm sorry. _

_I love you. _

_Laurence_

His hand drops to his side, shaking. He almost drops the note. It's a lot to take in for one morning. This is the only substantial clue to who he was before that blast, the only proof of his past. He can't run from it. He can't deny it any longer. It's there in black and white. He loved her. He _still _loves her. The memories are gone, but the familiarity is still there all hazy around the edges. People and places and only so much as déjà vu, but he's not the same man he was 10 years ago. It's why he keeps bringing himself back to her. He keeps putting himself next to her even when he can't stand her. He may never forgive her for the 10 years, but he wants her too.

Unfortunately, Adelle won't even stay in the same room as him. She's the one avoiding him now and although he knows that she's doing it out of self-preservation, it stings. She gets up from the table when he sits down, citing the garden she has to check on or the children she has to see to. She goes into her room after dinner and stays there for hours. He stands outside her closed door, hand poised to knock for twenty minutes before walking away. He isn't sure how to get through to her when she won't even look at him.

...

She'd completely fallen apart in front of him, which she still can't believe. Adelle can't look him in the eye. She still can't believe she'd lost control like that. She'd cried in front of him. She'd cried on top of him practically. Far worse, she'd shown how weak she was. She'd shown him how much she missed him, needed him and how guilty she felt for what he'd become. Upon waking up later that day Adelle had felt so ashamed she wanted to crawl back into bed and stay there forever. No one could want to be around such weakness. She can barely stand herself. So she runs. It's the only thing Adelle still knows how to do. She retreats into propriety and distance. She buries herself in self-preservation.

She's pushing everyone away as hard as she can until they're gone and she's safe again. She needs to be safe from the pity in their eyes, from the anger and confusion in his. It was a one time thing, he'd felt sorry for her. Laurence may have comforted her and held her, but he was gone again when she woke. It was meant as nothing more than comfort. Besides which, she belongs alone. It's not self-pity, merely fact. People leave and they die and she can't control it. She'd let them all in and now they were gone. It can't happen again, she isn't strong enough to do this all over again. So alone is best. Alone is safe.

She's almost convinced herself of that when Laurence comes up behind her one day and grabs her arm. She's too shocked to protest. He leads her into the nearby storeroom before she can think to stop him.

"Damn you. Let go of me Laurence." She yanks her arm away and moves to leave. He blocks the doorway.

"Adelle, just hear me out for a second." Adelle glares at him and crosses her arms, but makes no further move to get out. "Alpha showed me the note."

Her face pales. "He had no right." She shakes her head in disgust. "I told him to throw it away. Nobody bloody listens to me," she mutters heatedly. "So now you read it and you know what happened. So just leave me alone Mr. Dominic. I…"

He puts a finger to her mouth, silencing her. Then he pushes her against the wall, cupping her face with his hands and kissing her hard. She is so stunned that she doesn't reciprocate for several seconds. Then, gripping his head, she kisses him back. The kiss is frenzied, their lips crashing together. They're not a pair made for gentleness and it's really the only way to shut her up when she's on a rant. He still remembers that about her. How they'd be screaming one minute and kissing the next. It's barely a memory, but it's more than he's remembered in months. Dominic is sorry he hadn't tried this sooner.

Her fingers tangle in his hair and his hands roam up and down her body gripping her tightly. Adelle gets lost in it. There's just so much feeling in his kiss and then something like hope creeping back into her body after being gone for so long. God, she has missed this so much. The way they fit together so completely and the heat rising in her body as he presses her to the wall steal her breath. He pulls back from her then. Both of them were gasping for breath, pupils dilated. They're on the verge of losing control right there in the stock room, but Dominic needs her to hear this first. He breathes in deeply, steadying himself. It's his eyes that get to her then. They're a softer blue and gone is the sharp iciness that's filled them lately. He's looking at her like he used to, like she mattered more than anything. Her resolve is starting to shatter and the dull ache in her chest is melting away. She hadn't been able to bring herself to even hope for this. She held perfectly still, keeping back any words that might make this moment end.

He sighs and rocks back on his heels. "I'm sorry Adelle. I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you," he said. "I know this is hard for you too. I'm trying though. I don't really know if I can forgive you for the Attic, for all of _this_," he gestures at himself. Her face falls and he lifts a hand to stroke her cheek, brushing her lips with a finger. She looks up at him uncertainly. "I still love you Adelle. I know I don't remember what we had, but I still want this. I want us to try. Even when it's hard." The sudden smile that spreads across her face then is brilliant. He's always thought she was beautiful in an icy way, but this is different. This is real. He drinks it in.

She looks at him and the minutes tick by. "Alright Mr. Dominic," she says at last. He rolls his eyes at the use of his last name. "Laurence then," she laughs. "I still love you too." He takes her hand and squeezes it tightly. The world is a mess. There are countless things to be fixed and the technology still out there needs to be destroyed for good. Good people have been lost and Laurence still doesn't remember those years. In this moment, however, standing in between canned goods and the flour, Adelle DeWitt feels the shadows retreat.

-The End-


End file.
